Article holder and case



May 17, 1927.

J. M GREVY ARTICLE HOLDER AND CASE Filed Nov. 10. 1924 Patented May 17, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,629,040 PATENT OFFICE.

JEREMIAH MCGREVY, OF RICHMOND HILL, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SOLIDARITY WATCH CASE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ARTICLE HOLDER AND CASE.

Application filed November 10, 1924.

This invention relates to an article holder and case more particularly adapted for use in connection with jewelry. An obj ect of the present invention is to supply means for displacing the snap or friction lit by which an article holding member and a casing member, or two casing members for the holding member, are ordinarily held together, as in articles of jewelry for example, by providing 0 reliable and compact means for so positively locking the casing member to the article holding member as to afford ready access to th holding member and the article held thereby; and to avoid mutilation of the members by the use of instruments to pry open the device which are necessitated by the present type of friction fastening for such devices. Other objects are to incorporate such advantages as those recited, in a case for a wrist watch or the like which it is desirable to open conveniently either by raising the bezel or back or both of them, and to provide means which will improve the appearance of the case and increase the desirability of the same from a mechanical standpoint.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with i Fi 2' Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the unassembled main parts of a watch case according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the locking bar; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of a modilication.

Referring to the drawings, the holding member 10 is here shown in the form of a swing-ring of a watch for holding a watch movement. Casing members 11 and 12 are Serial No. 748,976.

provided, and where the case is adapted to contain a watch movement the casing mcmber 11 constitutes the back of the watch and the casing member 12 is constructed to provide a bezel for holding the watch crystal. The casing members 11 and 12 are pivotally connected with the holding member 10 by pintle 13.

A locking bar 14: is provided which is mounted in an elongated recess 15 formed in the edge portion 16 of one of the, preferably four, sides of the holding member which in this embodiment constitutes a swing-ring. The ends of the elongated recess 15 open out at the opposite sides of holding member 10, and the locking bar 141 is fitted movably into the recess and is preferably the same length as the recess. Parallel sockets 17 are formed in the holding member or swing-ring 10 at the bottom of the recess 15 and in them are located helical extension springs 18, the ends of which are adapted to bear upon the innerside of the locking bar 14. Stop-pins 19 are riveted 01' secured by a drive-lit in the holdmg member or swing-ring 10 and extend across the recess 15 so as to be received in transverse slots 20 formed in the opposite ends of the locking bar.

Locking bar 15 is provided with a central depression 21 in its outer portion, and is preferably in the form of a longitudinal groove in the said outer portion of the bar. A button 22 is located at approximately the rind-length of the locking bar 11 and is rovided with a stem 2-3 which passes through the groove 21 and is threaded into or Otherwise secured rigidly to the locking bar. At the opposite sides of the longitudinal groove 21 in the locking bar, the locking bar is provided with substantially beveled surface" 2%, 25 which are inclined in opposite directions from the groove, such beveled surfaces being specifically shown in the drawings as somewhat rounded, it being this rounded surface portion of the bar which in the illustrated form of the invention is projected just beyond the straight edge of the edge portion 16 of the holding member by means of the springs 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The casing men'iber 11 or watch case back is provided with a flange :26 and the casing member 12 or the bezel provided with a flange 27, and these two flanges are adapted to meet edge to edge around the holding member or Swingrin'g 10. The flanges ioo 27 are respectively provided vith inner protuberances 28, 29 which are preterably formed by small fillets Which produce straight slight lips on said flanges and which preferably meet when the meeting edges of the flanges abut. Flanges 26, 27 are also respectively provided with circular notches 30, 31 which form a hole v; ion the 'fh s are closed together and through which hole the button 22 is operable to release either or both casing members, or the back or he'izelor both the back and the bezel t :1 watch case. Mr example. i

in the example shown the casin member or bezel 12 is provided at one end v. it of rigid bearingpears I32 and a similar pair of hearing-ears 33 at the opposite end. Also il'our arms 34 are provided which have trunnio 35 rigid therewith. and extending; at right angles thereto. each arm 3% and its; trunnion 3:") constituting; a hinge. The trunnions are mounted in the bearingrars 7 33 at each end of the casing; moral or or bezel 12, so that the arms Lil may he swung around the axes of the trunnit In order to hold the arms 3% apart in pairs spring 36 is provided which is adapter to act on locking pins 37 to project their ends out- \vardly from a sleeve 38 in which the sprin and the locking pins are arranged. the 01th ends (it the locking; pins entering- 39".?0133- tions 39 in the free ends of the arms 1:54. The hinges and their cross-pins such as 237, 38. tor

example, constitute attachinp' me; bera lVhen the just described hinge '1" ure rt the present invention is applied to a in Watch for example, but not necessarily, the flellldle memb rs it). -ll constitute a two-part l let strap, the parts of the ap icing neetable by means of a bncl-cle I1: is adaptation of the said hinge feature it id be seen that the customary cumb ome and objectionable rigid lugs for the uncut of the bracelet straps oi WllSt Watch are done away with they have been found very objectionable in that they are liable to breakage and protrude uonec 'rily. Under the present invention the hinges 3% or) permit the straps i0. ll to more nearly conform to the wrist of a person at the points where they fasten to the case. and when a wrist is comparatively small the ar as 34- of the hinges will be swung inwardly, -s shown in full lines in 2, by the tightening up of the straps, and it a wrist be lar the arms 34: Will assume an outward po tion. The dotted lines in Fin hov: the arms in extreme oppositely extended posi 1 which position they may sometimes be required to take. It will. hovrever, be seen that these swingable arms 34: do not protrude to such an extent that they are apt to be broken, as are rigid cumbersome lugs.

It will be seen that the attaching member formed by the hinge and its cross-pin at the locked end of the case is pivoted to one side of the locking bar button 22 and that the said or spin together with the material of the ll ::..hlc neinher or strap secured thereto are so close to the button that a guard againstthe operation of the button is pro- "ided. lt necessary to turn the case around tor depressing the button by a finger of a person.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate a modification of the cross-pin between the hinge members. A sleeve of resilient metal serves as a spacer Jetu'een tilt} hinge members. and takes the place of tile sleeve 'lhis sleeve 4h; out longtitudinally at all a l, to provide a longi- "linal portion or .ltl'lp 4:8, which is bent or detormed inwardly so as to project somevvhat into the interior of the sleeve and to form a spring or snap tastenii'ig.

The cross-pin proper 4.9 is provided with an, annular groove 50 so that whenever the pin is pushed sull'iciently into sleeve 4:5 the deformed portion 48 will snap into the groove 50 and the pin ll) and the sleeve will held together. in assembling, the attach- :no member 1 0 or 4:1. would first have the i "re 45 set therein, the end of said memu'oizld be placed between the hinge aeinbers and the sleeve registered with the ioles therein, and tinally the pin 4.9 would driven in. The snap spring l8 would hold the parts together against acci- J t-:.I disunion.

Cla'nis to the sohject-imitter ot' the locks; bar ant. associated parts illustrated in made in my co-pendiim No. M9558, tiled November l'liGll ie rion ing detailed description has clearness of understanding I no undue limitation should be de duced therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible in view or the prior art.

ll ha" I claim as new ant desire to secure bv Le te 's Eatent ot the bniied States is:-

1. In an article holder and case, the combination oi? a holding member adapted to hold a watch mowsraent pivoted casing members for enclosing the holding men'lber, such holding member having one of its edges longitudinally recessed, a spring- 'essed locking aen'iber mounted entirely the holding member Within the recess movablebodily therein such casing (as each having an inwardly extending mice for interlocking with the lockine .ier. whereby said casinu n'ieinbers leasably held closed. p ii an article holder and case, the com- "'on ot' a holding member adapted to a vw' ii'lovenient. and having an loiwitndinally recessed. a 1mg bar mounted in the and movable bodily therein such bar being longitudinally grooved, and acasing member having an inwardly extending protuberance for interlocking with the groove in said locking bar,whereby the casing member is releasably held closed.

3. In an article holder and case, the combination of a holding member adapted to hold a watch movement, and having an edge portion longitudinally recessed, an outWard- 1y spring pressed locking bar mounted in the recess, and movable bodily therein, stop pins carried by the holding member and limiting the outward movement of said locking bar, and a casing member having a protubemnce adapted to interlock with the locking bar for releasably holding the casing member in closed position.

t. In an article holder and case, the combination of a holding member adapted to hold a watch movement, a bezel, and a casing member constituting a back for the movement, the holding member having a recess in its outer end, and a locking bar movably mounted in the recess of the holding member for joint engagement with the bezel and easing member, whereby the bezel and casing member may be separately locked in closed position on the holding member and may be unlocked and separately swung back to expose either the face or the back of: the watch movement.

5. In an article holder and case, the combination ot a holding member constituting a swingring adapted to hold a watch move ment, :1 bezel, and a casing member constituting a back for the movement, all pivotally joined together, a locking bar movably mounted on the swing-ring for joint engagement with the bezel and back, a spring confined in the swing-ring and bearing outwardly upon the locking bar to project it slightly from the swing-ring, and the outer end flanges of the bezel and back having inner protuberances for engaging and depressing the locking bar, whereby the bezel and back may be separately locked in closed position on the swing-ring and may be unlocked and separately swung back to expose either the face or the back of the watch movement.

(3. In an article holder and case, the combination of a holding member constituting a swing-ring adapted to hold a watch movement, at bezel, and a casing member consti tuting a back for the movement, all pivotally joined together, the swing-ring halving a recess in its end away from the pivot and a socket at the bottom of the recess, a locking bar movably mounted in the recess, a spring located in the socket for pressing on the bar and projecting its outer surface slightly beyond said end of the swing-ring, the said outer surface being substantially beveled, and the bar having a depression in its projecting surface, and means for limiting the outward movement of the bar, the outer end flanges of the bezel and back having inner protuberances for bearing on the beveled surfaces for depressing the locking bar, whereby the bezel and back may be separately locked in closed position on the swing-ring and may be unlocked and, separately swung back to expose either the face or the back of the Watch movement.

Signed at New York, N. Y., this 7th day of November, 1924.

JEREMIAH MOGR'EVY. 

